DNCE is an American funk pop and dance-rock band. The group consists of members Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee. The group signed with Republic Records, who released their debut single, "Cake by the Ocean", in September 2015. The song reached the top 10 in several charts, including on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 9. Their debut extended play, Swaay, was released the same year. They also were nominated for Favorite New Artist for the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards and Best Song to Lip Sync and Best Anthem for the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards.
The idea for DNCE first came about while Jonas and Lawless were living together, though the project was put on hold due to duo's respective busy schedules.Jonas, Lawless, and Lee officially came together to form DNCE in 2015, with work on their debut studio album beginning shortly afterwards. Though work on the project had already begun, the group struggled to find a fourth member to fit into the band. Jonas began working with songwriter Justin Tranter, of Semi Precious Weapons, for DNCE's debut album; this led to Jonas and Whittle, the former bassist for Semi Precious Weapons, becoming friends and ultimately adding him to the group. The group named themselves DNCE after the name of a song written for the album, which lyrically speaks of being too drunk to spell the word "dance".Jonas later added the group decided on the name as it described the "imperfect awesome[ness] of the four of [them] together." JinJoo later added that much like the spelling of the word, you don't have to be a perfect dancer to dance in life. The group began performing secret shows in New York City to rehearse for their upcoming tour and promotional performances.
On January 31, 2016, DNCE made a cameo during Fox's television special Grease: Live; a live production of the Broadway musical Grease. The band performed as Johnny Casino and The Gamblers during a high school dance scene, which incorporated a 1950s-inspired rendition of "Cake by the Ocean" and a cover of The Crickets' "Maybe Baby" alongside the Grease songs "Born to Hand Jive" and "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay". In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jonas explained that DNCE was approached by the producers of the special following a show in New York City, and that he had always been a fan of Grease.